Blaster worm attacker gets 18 months

By PAUL SHUKOVSKY, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Published 10:00 pm, Friday, January 28, 2005

Jeffrey Parson, the Minnesota man who brought the Internet to its knees with a Blaster worm virus, was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in prison -- the lowest possible sentence under his plea agreement.

U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman noted in sentencing Parson that mental illness led him to virtually imprison himself at home, the only refuge where he could avoid human contact. Pechman likened the Internet to a dungeon for people like Parson, who she said has also had to contend with the loneliness of having neglectful parents.

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Variants of the Blaster worm caused computer networks around the world to collapse in 2003. Parson unleashed a particularly vicious version of the worm in August 2003 that infected more than 48,000 computers, according to a sentencing memo by Assistant U.S. Attorney Annette Hayes.

Parson admitted guilt last August to a single count of intentionally causing damage to a protected computer.

His admission was part of the plea agreement that lays out how he modified the worm by inserting a "backdoor" that would give him future access to infected computers, then launching a denial-of-service attack in a failed attempt to overwhelm a Microsoft Web site. Microsoft says it cost the company $1.2 million to clean up Parson's mess. The case was prosecuted in Seattle because Microsoft, which is based in Redmond, is considered his primary victim.

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Parson's attorney, Nancy Tenney, said her client wanted to warn other young people about the folly of his actions. So he created a video with Seattle Public Schools in which he talks about "how wrong it is," Tenney said.

Pechman asked Parson about his video during yesterday's sentencing. He said he wanted to create something that his peers would pay attention to. And he said producing the video made him "extremely scared, but I felt very good after it was done."

"I know I've made a huge mistake, and I've hurt a lot of people, and I feel terrible," Parson said, adding an apology to Microsoft.

Before sentencing Parson, Pechman told the young hacker he had done "a terrible thing. You shook the foundation of the system" by damaging trust in the Internet. But the judge noted that Parson had just turned 18 when he launched his attack and that his psychological evaluation indicates that he had the maturity of someone much younger.

"The Internet is a wonderful thing," said the judge. "But it has created a dark hole, a dungeon if you will, for people who have mental illnesses or people who are lonely."

And Pechman -- who said Parson's home "sounds much grimmer than some prison camps I know of" -- asserted that Parson's father led him into that hole.

His parents were not at the sentencing, Tenney said. "Jeff's parents are unable to provide guidance and support," she said.

Pechman requested that the federal Bureau of Prisons put Parson in a prison camp in Duluth, Minn., or at one in South Dakota known for having the best educational programs in the federal prison system.

Once Parson gets out, he will be put under the supervision of a probation officer who will require that he get mental-health treatment.

Pechman also ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service, in part as a way to force the young man to have as much contact with other people as possible.

She also barred Parson from using computers for video games or chat rooms. Only educational or business computer use will be allowed.

"We're not going to have imaginary friends," said Pechman. "I want you to have real friends."

Pechman postponed dealing with the complex issue of restitution to Microsoft until Feb. 10.

The judge allowed Parson to return home to Minnesota until the Bureau of Prisons orders him to report to serve his sentence.

After the court proceedings, Parson said he is "grateful the judge gave me a very fair sentence."

"I feel that the judge understood me. I hope young people can learn from my mistakes, and I am really sorry to anyone who got hurt in any way by what I did."

At a news conference, Nancy Anderson, Microsoft vice president and deputy general counsel, expressed appreciation for Pechman's recognition of the seriousness of the crime.

She said that although the Blaster worm caused millions of dollars of damage to Microsoft, the damage to the "Internet ecosystem" was far worse by shaking the faith of computer users in the Internet.

Both Anderson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Sullivan said they are satisfied with Pechman's rationale for sentencing Parson to the bottom of the range.